SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF NOTIFYING A PATIENT TO TAKE MEDICATION

• US 20140327544A1
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ramsdell, Scott W., Waxenberg, Susan A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Systems and methods of scheduling and sending notifications to, and receiving acknowledgements from, patients regarding specific health care events, such as the taking of medications at scheduled times and in prescribed dosages. By directing a patient to take their prescribed dosages of medication at scheduled times based on a schedule of medications prepared for the patient by a health care provider, a caregiver, etc., and enabling the patient to provide acknowledgements of having taken their prescribed dosages of medication, improved health care outcomes can be achieved. Further, by allowing the patient to receive such directives to take their medication, as well as to send such acknowledgements, using a set top box connected to a television set, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, and/or a patient notification device such as a wireless pendant, desired improvements in health care outcomes can be achieved with an increased level of convenience.

Claims

1. A method of providing at least one notification to, and receiving at least one acknowledgement from, at least one patient with regard to taking medication at least one scheduled time, comprising:

monitoring, by a computerized scheduling component, for the scheduled time to take the medication to occur;

upon detection of the occurrence of the scheduled time, sending, by the computerized scheduling component to a computerized notification component, a first message containing at least one identifier of at least one network access device associated with the patient, the network access device being communicably connectable to a display device;

sending, by the computerized notification component over at least one network, a notification message to the network access device;

in response to receipt of the notification message at the network access device, causing, by the network access device, a perceptible notification of the scheduled time to take the medication to be presented to the patient on the display device; and

receiving, at the computerized notification component over the network, an acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication from the network access device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network access device is a set top box, wherein the network includes one or more of a cable television (CATV) network and an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network, and wherein the sending of the notification message includes sending the notification message to the set top box over one or more of the CATV network and the IPTV network.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

monitoring, by the set top box, for the receipt of the notification message.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the causing of the perceptible notification to be presented on the display device includes causing, by the set top box, one or more of a text notification, a video notification, an audio notification, and an image notification to be presented to the patient on the display device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending, by a remote control device, at least one signal indicative of the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication to the network access device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the sending of the signal to the network access device includes sending, by the remote control device, one or more of an infrared signal and a radio frequency signal indicative of the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the computerized scheduling component from at least one computerized device, credentials of at least one specified individual for use in verifying the specified individual to the computerized scheduling component.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving, at the computerized scheduling component from the computerized device, a patient account number for use in allowing the specified individual to prepare a schedule of medications for the patient on the computerized device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving, at the computerized scheduling component from the computerized device, the schedule of medications for the patient, the schedule of medications including the scheduled time for the patient to take the medication.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

directing, by the computerized scheduling component, a computerized authentication component to query an account information database for personalized information pertaining to the network access device using the patient account number, the personalized information including one or more of a unique identification code designed to avoid direct association of the personalized information with the patient, at least one reference number, at least one device type, and addressable information for the network access device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

querying, by the computerized authentication component, the account information database for the personalized information pertaining to the network access device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

sending, by the computerized authentication component, one or more of the unique identification code and the reference number to the computerized scheduling component; and

sending, by the computerized authentication component, one or more of the unique identification code, the reference number, the device type, and the addressable information for the network access device to the computerized notification component.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sending of the first message includes sending, by the computerized scheduling component, the first message containing one or more of the unique identification code and the reference number for the network access device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the sending of the notification message to the network access device includes sending, by the computerized notification component, the notification message to the network access device using the addressable information for the network access device.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forwarding, by the computerized notification component, the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication to the computerized scheduling component.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

storing, by the computerized scheduling component, the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication in at least one data storage.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

sending, by the computerized scheduling component, at least one report of one or more of the notification message sent to, and the acknowledgement received from, the patient.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in the event the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication is not received at the computerized notification component from the network access device, notifying, by the computerized notification component, one or more of the computerized scheduling component and a computerized device of a specified individual of a failure to receive the acknowledgement.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

in response to the notification of the failure to receive the acknowledgement, sending, via the computerized notification component, an emergency message to at least the network access device.

20. A patient notification system, comprising:

a notification server;

a network access device associated with at least one patient; and

a scheduling server,

wherein the scheduling server is operative to monitor for a scheduled time to take medication to occur, and, upon detection of the occurrence of the scheduled time, to send, to the notification server, a first message containing at least one identifier of the network access device, the network access device being communicably connectable to a display device,

wherein the notification server is operative to send, over at least one network, a notification message to the network access device,

wherein the network access device is operative, in response to receipt of the notification message, to cause a perceptible notification of the scheduled time to take the medication to be presented to the patient on the display device, and

wherein the notification server is further operative to receive, over the network, an acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication from the network access device.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the network access device is a set top box, wherein the network includes one or more of a cable television (CATV) network and an Internet protocol television (IPTV) network, and wherein the notification server is further operative to send the notification message to the set top box over one or more of the CATV network and the IPTV network.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the notification server is further operative to receive the acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication from the network access device over one or more of the CATV network and the IPTV network.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the notification server and the scheduling server are implemented on one or more computers or computerized devices.

24. A method of providing at least one notification to, and receiving at least one acknowledgement from, at least one patient with regard to taking medication at least one scheduled time, comprising:

monitoring, by a computerized scheduling component, for the scheduled time to take the medication to occur;

upon detection of the occurrence of the scheduled time, sending, by the computerized scheduling component to a computerized notification component, a first message containing at least one identifier of at least one patient notification device associated with the patient;

sending, by the computerized notification component over at least one network, a notification message to the patient notification device;

in response to receipt of the notification message at the patient notification device, causing, by the patient notification device, a perceptible notification of the scheduled time to take the medication to be presented to the patient; and

receiving, at the computerized notification component over the network, an acknowledgement of the patient having taken the medication from the patient notification device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the sending of the first message includes sending, to the computerized notification component, the first message containing the identifier of the patient notification device configured as one of a mobile device, a network access device, and an intelligent home gateway.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the sending of the notification message includes sending, by the computerized notification component, the notification message to the patient notification device over the network including one or more of the Internet, a telecommunications network, a video services network, and an intelligent home network.